Angular contact hearings (e.g. tapered roller bearings and tandem roller bearings) used in automotive transmissions require a device to manage axial preload across operating temperature ranges of the transmission when dissimilar materials are used to support the hearing. Typically, this occurs when a steel bearing is installed in a non-steel housing which has a different thermal expansion coefficient.
Bearings that have a device to account for thermal expansion and contraction are known. However, many known devices can require significant axial preload and have a limited range of expansion and contraction. Moreover, the devices are non-adjustable for real-time conditions. For example, no sensors or controls are present in the devices to dynamically vary pressure of the system. Further, many devices require additional components to store hydraulic pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,111, for example, discloses a self-compensating anti-friction bearing clearance device. The device adjusts the internal clearance in a roller hearing to account for thermal expansion and contraction.
Moreover, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5.028,152, which discloses a bearing that utilizes an elastomeric material to account for thermal expansion and contraction of components for machinery having dissimilar materials used in conjunction with each other. Thermal compensation is provided by inserting an elastomer into a cavity within a machined outer ring of a bearing, bonding an elastomer to a metallic backing, or encapsulating an elastomer within two cups which are snapped into a cavity in an outer ring or an inner ring.
Also, see DE 38 10 448 A1, which discloses a thermal compensating device for a rolling-contact bearing. Here, a back-up ring and a fluid-filled cavity are arranged between a race of a bearing and a housing to compensate for manufacturing tolerances and temperature-dependent and/or material-dependent changes in length of machine elements.
Finally, see for example EP 2 050 974 B1, which discloses a roller bearing apparatus used under a preload. Here, the roller bearing apparatus is prevented from being inclined within a cylinder, thereby preventing leakage of a liquid from a hydraulic pressure chamber of a cylinder.